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Sports Agenda for Monday (10/21/13)

MIAMI GARDENS, FL - OCTOBER 20: Charles Clay #42 of the Miami Dolphins is congratulated on his touchdown by his teammates Rishard Matthews #18 (L) of the Miami Dolphins and Brandon Gibson #10 (C) of the Miami Dolphins in the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Sun Life Stadium on October 20, 2013 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

(Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

Top Stories:
The Heat are in preseason, the Panthers are struggling, so there’s only one thing to talk about today and that’s FOOTBALL! We’ve got all sorts of action from the college and professional ranks as teams begin jockeying for position for bowls, championships, and the playoffs.

Quote of the Day:
“Not only our economic soundness, but the very soundness of our democratic institutions depends on the determination of our government to give employment to idle men.” – FDR

SEC Madness:
If you haven’t been following the madness that is the SEC…what football have you been watching?
In the span of one Saturday, Georgia, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, and Texas A&M all lost.
That’s insane.
Now, the SEC’s last hopes for another BCS championship rest on the shoulders of the two-time defending champion Alabama Crimson Tide and the Missouri Tigers….wait, Missouri?
Yup, my beloved Tigers are 7-0 after stomping a mudhole in Florida over the weekend.
I don’t want to say Missouri dominated, oh who am I kidding, of course I want to say Missouri dominated because they did.
How much so, try 500 yards of total offense for Missouri to 151 yards of total offense for Florida.
Ouch!
And remember, Missouri was starting a redshirt freshman quarterback for the first-time against the SEC’s second best defense in Florida.
Can I just say I was a little bit happy for the past two Sundays.
Now how about this to consider….
Mizzou plays South Carolina on Saturday in Columbia, MO at the Zou.
If Missouri beats SC on Saturday, and the Gamecocks will be with a backup quarterback….the Tigers are likely headed to the SEC Championship game.
Yes, you read that right.
And if they win out, they could have a shot at the BCS Title game against Bama…but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
First things first, beat SC, beat Tennessee, beat Kentucky.
Hey, I’ll even accept a loss to Texas A&M to get to the title game.
But here’s a note for Stewart Mandel of SI.com….
He wrote yesterday how Missouri had managed to play teams decimated by injuries and that had helped them get through undefeated.
Where was he last year attacking teams beating Missouri who lost over half of the offensive lineman on the roster, the starting quarterback, etc.
Plus, remember this….against Florida, Missouri didn’t have it’s top offensive weapon (QB James Franklin) or best cover cornerback (E.J. Gaines).
Now, let’s beat the Ol’ Ball Coach on the revenge tour and keep this thing rolling towards Atlanta!

Florida State Seminoles:
Um, yeah.
That’s how you really stomp a mudhole in someone and walk that bad boy dry.
By the way, they issued an Amber Alert for Clemson’s defense because no one has seen it since before the game on Saturday.
Why people are still saying Marcus Mariota for Heisman over famous Jameis is beyond me.
Winston is my Heisman vote today, bar none.
Plus, and I hate to tell Hurricanes fans this…but if FSu comes to play like it did on Saturday when the Canes come to Tallahassee in a couple of weeks…Miami’s gonna get slaughtered.
If you want to see what Jimbo Fisher is building in Tally, head a little northwest to Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
He’s building an ACC version of Alabama….tough, hard-nosed, smash-mouth, physical, freakishly athletic, ball hawking, team that is focused on one thing….mauling opponents.
And don’t be surprised if FSU is in Pasadena this year playing for another BCS National Championship.
Yes, they are that good.
And no, right now, I don’t think UM has a snowball’s chance in the Sahara of beating the Noles in the Doak.

Miami Dolphins:
And now we get to the part of the agenda that is truly ugly.
The Dolphins.
I don’t want to say the state of Florida is bad, but I believe the state is on a 16 game NFL losing streak.
The Fins have lost three in a row and are regressing big time on offense.
Tampa Bay is just flat-out awful at 0-6.
And lest we forget the worst team in the league, the Jacksonville Jaguars who are 0-7.
But let’s look at the Dolphins’ latest debacle.
They had a full week off to lick their wounds and came out and laid an egg bigger than Republicans in Congress with the shutdown.
Too soon?
On the bright side, the Dolphins only gave up two sacks in the game…and they pulled down four of their own.
Tannehill did also throw three touchdown passes….four if you count the one he threw to the Bills.
What really boggled my mind was starting Daniel Thomas.
Look, I know he was drafted by Ireland, but he’s not the answer to any question that involves winning.
He ran for 60 yards on 12 carries, but at least the Fins called 21 runs yesterday…course they called 37 passes too, so yknow.
Here’s the thing with the Dolphins: no offensive line = no running game = too much pressure on Tannehill to throw the team to success.
That’s a recipe for disaster unless you have Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, or Andrew Luck as your quarterback.
At this point, I suggest a strategy for the Dolphins….
Don’t go all in to win this season.
And then go to the NFL Draft and target Cyrus Kurandijo (spelling is likely off) out of Alabama.
He’s a mauling left tackle who could fortify the left side of the line.
Sign a guard or two to give Pouncey a chance to succeed and watch how much better Lamar Miller is and Ryan Tannehill is.
Because with this line right now…the Fins can’t win.
Course with Ireland drafting offensive linemen….the play may not be that wise to begin with.
Plus, I’d seriously consider moving Dion Jordan to tight end, but that’s just me.

There’s a lot more out there, but I’m easing back in after a week off. Trust me, cbsmiami.com/sports will be filled with content by the end of the day!